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December - NEWSLETTER 2011
Our Christmas Newsletter
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Cal Bombay |
I wish you a very Merry Christian Christmas!
I was shocked again this year to see the commercialization
of the celebration of Christmas – as
early as mid-November. I was
deeply tempted to ask people in the
malls, fighting over bargains, a simple
question: “Do you know Jesus?”
the answer would most often be a
confused look on their faces or a
clear „no. Some of us would have
been able to answer “Yes, I know
Jesus!” My next question would
have then been, “So, why are you celebrating the birthday
of a Person you do not even know?”
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Roads being built to new fields |
Well, we know Him. We celebrate His physical arrival on
earth in that little village of Bethlehem. Eternal life finally
came to man through a vulnerable baby, Who in spite of
His size and form of arrival, was then, and is now, the King
of kings. Now these 2,000 years later, I wonder what He
thinks about His Church?
You and I are a part of God's work crew in building the
Church under His direction. That takes many forms of
course, including the preaching of the Gospel of Jesus the
Christ, looking after widows and orphans, caring for the
lonely, feeding the hungry, showing compassion, and having
our own private conversation
with Him daily.
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Church foundation being laid |
Well, we know Him. We celebrate His physical arrival on
earth in that little village of Bethlehem. Eternal life finally
came to man through a vulnerable baby, Who in spite of
His size and form of arrival, was then, and is now, the King
of kings. Now these 2,000 years later, I wonder what He
thinks about His Church?
You and I are a part of God's work crew in building the
Church under His direction. That takes many forms of
course, including the preaching of the Gospel of Jesus the
Christ, looking after widows and orphans, caring for the
lonely, feeding the hungry, showing compassion, and having
our own private conversation
with Him daily.
Cal Bombay Ministries is doing
His work. You and I are
workers together with God.
What a privilege!
Currently in South Sudan, we
are doing a great deal of
building. This will facilitate the expansion in fields so that
food production can be done more efficiently and cost effectively.
This is going to take an immense amount of
money. But God has His resources to do ALL of the following:
1) Finish building the roads to our fields so that our
equipment is not damaged before we get to the fields.
2) Complete the building of
our Workshop on site at
Bori Farm Headquarters.
3) Complete the fabrication
of our mobile workshop
to take repairs to the
field rather than haul
broken equipment over
miles of road for minor
repairs.
4) Complete the building of our church to seat 400+ at
the Bori Headquarters.
5) Build a secure wall around our compound for
security for our people and equipment.
6) Repairing some of our machinery which has been
sitting awaiting attention for too long.
7) And finally – getting our machinery over the new
roads and onto the land for clearing, harrowing,
planting, cultivating and the harvesting of our
growing crop production.
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Land clearing in heavy brush |
My prayer is that by the end of 2012 all of the above will
be finished, functional and going fast-forward into the future.
South Sudan is desperately in need of a model like
the Bori farm for other organisations
to replicate on
the hundreds of thousands
of fertile acres available
for farming. We cannot do
it all, but we can set the
pace and the example for
others to follow. The joy is
ours, yours and Cal Bombay
Ministries, to be able
to set the standards for future agricultural independence
in South Sudan.
I am looking at 2012 to be the year of getting past the top
of the mountain of development so that we will be able to
establish a “food forever” agricultural system in the nation
which presently absorbs more emergency feeding
than any other country in the world. What we are doing
together is not insignificant! Thank you for all you do.
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Workshop floor is completed |
Thank you for your prayer support! Thank you for your
compassionate and sacrificial financial support! I thank you for your notes and letters of encouragement
which never fail to lift my spirits!
Zamba Duku, and Ron Hamilton are working
hard to get as much of
this list done as possible
before the end of December,
2011. I am so grateful
to God for both
Zamba and Ron particularly,
and for all our faithful
workers on the ground
in South Sudan.
On November 27th Zamba
wrote the following to me:
“There is still just over twenty thousand dollars out
of the last fifty thousand you sent on the account. I
had hoped that this money would suffice for the
salaries for November and that some would remain
to cover part of the December salaries. Now I am
afraid this money has to go to the purchase of more
construction materials and the hire of the road
equipment and the dump truck. Of course, still much
more money is needed for the construction work
(especially the church and the workshop). I propose
that we only finish the front portion of the perimeter
fence till further funds will be found in future. I
wanted to let you know the situation, my
dear brother, and to request that you make a special
appeal for funds to help meet the costs of
these construction works, especially of the
church. Zamba”
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Foundation for compound wall |
Before the above paragraph,
Zamba wrote a
page of details of what
is now being done. It is
both encouraging and
challenging. But the
God Who sent Jesus to
meet our deep need of
spiritual life and fellowship
with God also inspired Paul in Romans 8:31-32, “What shall we then say to these things? If God be for
us, who can be against us? He that spared not his own
Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not
with him also freely give us all things?” All things!
All things? That's what we all want for Christmas isn't
it? And a Happy New Year!!
I asked my local congregation, “What if we try something
different this year? How many would agree that the
church put on a free Christmas dinner for those of our neighbours outside the church?” The congregation has
risen to the occasion. ALL the church is involved!
In other words, we as a church are giving a dinner
rather than getting a dinner. I think the Lord will be
pleased with that day where we celebrate His birth by
giving as unreservedly as God gave us His Son.
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This is the answer to South Sudan's
hunger problem |
Is that not the true spirit of Christmas?
What about you this Christmas? Can you and I enter
into the true spirit of giving to the work in Sudan with
an extrovert love rather than an introvert attitude? After
all – Whose birth are we celebrating?
I love and respectyou for
your love for
God, for your
prayers and
support.
With the best
Christmas
wishes and
prayers
I remain
Faithfully yours on behalf of South Sudan,
Your very sincerely in Christ, for South Sudan
Cal Bombay
crb.
"The harvest indeed is plentiful, but the la-borers are few. Pray therefore that the Lord of the harvest will send forth labourers (and their equipment) into his harvest." -
Matthew 9:37-38 |
